Auspicious Moon

Tiny ripples formed in the water with each step I took. Blurry images of a small school of fishes swam away, only to linger by my feet every time my limbs stood still in an attempt to gain a clearer view of them. I remember giggling, in awe of the beauty before me. Warmth blossomed into my heart, making it soar up to the wide blue sky.

"You are born to make history, Lan'lah," father proudly declared. Strong arms, scooped me up from the water, settling me on his bare shoulders. His dark hair tickled my chin but I kept my eyes to the dense hoard of clouds beyond the edge of the sea, grinning from ear to ear. "Someday, your name will be uttered by countless and I will never be more prouder than I am today."

This, I would realise later on, was not a passing daydream, but the future they had already lay out for me. It was a truth etched undeniably in the threads woven into the fabric of my clothes since I took my first breath into this world.

That was many moons ago. Today, the bright blue of the sky is replaced by an approaching wall of grey in the distance. The wind is picking up, rattling the windows of the small wooden hut. I rush to grab the remaining fabric from the clothes line. As I move to reach for it, a strong gust of wind spirits it away into the nearby forest.

From the shaking treeline out emerges a tall man garbed in the finest clothes I haven't seen in a long while. He catches hold of the fabric lazily with one hand. "I believe this is yours," the man says. He walks over to me, unbothered by the weather. Rain begins to plummet down from the sky, but I can't bring myself to back away from the stranger. I am compelled not to.

"Today, I come for you as promised, beloved of the Moon."